Faraway
by samehime345
Summary: Haruka and Sousuke are brothers in the Yamazaki household, but when their parents decide to divorce, the siblings need to separate for good. Promise to be always together, will the siblings able to hold on this promise until the future?
1. Promise

**A/N= Sousuke and Haruka is just too-look-alike that I can't help to make them as siblings ^0^ there needs to be more souharu! Haru is a little bit OOC in this chapter because this is little Haru we're talking about ^^ innocent...and takes place before all the events in the anime.**

**Please rate and review ^^**

* * *

><p>Life was like a fish in a bowl.<p>

Sometimes, we're like the little guppy that swam back and forth inside our little pool.

We're walking in the same direction every single day of our life—doing the same things, repeating the same mistakes and staying in your comfort zone; it was peaceful, you are contented with the things they were, but sometimes it could be tiring as well.

What was the life behind the glass bowl? Only some of us would take the risk, such as jumping out of the water, and fleeting away from your comfort zone. After that, some of us might feel strained by the changes in the surroundings, but some of us may adapt the life outside the box.

That's what Haruka thought as he stared the guppy inside the fish bowl at the guest room.

Yamazaki Haruka was only five years old, but his mind had been vast and filled with curiosity for his age. His parents said he was naïve and childish—even though he didn't know what it meant, he believed his parents were right; Haruka was a cheeky and childish boy, who was ignorant of the logic that works in this world.

"_Sou-nii!" _the little boy turned to the taller boy beside him, pouting. "Can I take the fish out?"

Yamazaki Sousuke, the older brother of the Yamazaki household, made a face and crossed his arms, sighing. "Silly Haruka, the fish will die for god's sake. Where do you think you're going to put him?"

"There's a pond at the backyard!" Haruka protested as if he was right, grumbling. "Water is life Sou-nii, I want this fish to swim in a bigger world with more water!"

Seeing the excitement flickering on his brother's electric, blue eyes, the taller brunet sighed in forfeit and got to his feet, slipped his feet into his sandals.

"All right, let's go." He let out a wry smile.

Haruka's eyes widened, jumped to his feet and clung to his brother's arms. "Let's go!"

The younger boy took the fish bowl and skipped happily to the backyard. Sousuke kept ushering him to walk slower or he will drop the bowl and kill the fish; of course, Haruka didn't even bother to hear his warnings—his mind was occupied at the little fish that was about to get his new home.

When they had reached the backyard garden, Haruka and Sousuke crawled towards the little pond behind the bushes—Sousuke needed to squeeze in for his bigger size.

Finally, Haruka spilled the contents of the bowl, and the little guppy merged with the pond, swimming freely on the wider water surface.

The scene drew in Haruka and Sousuke. Blue and cerulean eyes followed the swimming guppy, which was swimming further and further, swimming freely. Haruka's innocent eyes glittered with sheer resolution, as if the scene from the future had reflected in his eyes. Sousuke noticed the difference in his brother's eyes and smiled at him.

"Dammit you little shrimp," he chuckled. "You seem to be so happy with the idea for the fish for being free huh?"

"_Free…"_ Haruka said in awe, and his eyes shone with hope. He turned to his brother, saying brightly. "Sou-nii! Let's be free together!"

"Huh?" Sousuke tilted his head, confused.

"When we grow up, I want us to follow our dreams!" Haruka's eyes softened, squeezing his brother's palms. "I want to be free! I want you to be free! I want both of us to be free!"

Sousuke's eyebrows knitted quizzically— he didn't get of his brother's meaning for being free. Haruka was a strange kid after all, but that didn't change the fact the little cheeky dolphin was his brother. He sighed inwardly and poked Haruka's forehead, giggling. Haruka made a face by the gesture, and Sousuke chuckled again.

"Of course, we should follow our own paths." Sousuke said matter of fact. "That is obvious, I mean if I grow up and become a shark tamer, you wouldn't want to join me, don't you?"

Sousuke knew well how much Haruka was scared by sharks, and a grimace look settled on Haruka's face.

"_Sou-nii you're mean_!"

Sousuke laughed out loud and stroke Haruka's hair lovingly. "But whatever happens, we should stay forever, Haruka."

Sousuke's eyes were deathly serious, but a gentle, reassuring smile was on his lips. Haruka tilted his head and studied his brother's expression. Gradually, his eyes widened in realization upon his brother's words and let out a pinkie finger, blushing.

"That's a promise!"

Sousuke grinned and slipped his pinkie to Haruka's petite ones. "It's a promise! If I break it, I would bring you to a land of mackerels."

"There is a land of mackerels?" Haruka's voice rose, as if he really believed it existed, or at least he hoped it does.

Sousuke sighed inwardly, but he simply grinned. "Of course, if I break it, you will wake up in the bed of mackerels!"

"That sounds like you want to put me on a death bed of mackerels, Sou-nii."

"Shut up!"

Then, the siblings shared their jovial laughter. They were chuckling, giggling, and rolling on the grass. For a while later, the backyard was swept with deafening silence as the little brothers took a deep breath and faced the sky, contemplating it.

The sky and the sea were similar were they? Haruka thought to himself, having internal conflict which one of them was wider. According to the teachers, the sky was more spacious; it stretched towards the unknown called 'outer space', but in Haruka's opinion, the sea was more diverse—it has living creatures and mermaids Haruka had seen in the movies, unlike the sky which only hold the sun and the moon….

"Hey Haruka…" Sousuke's voice broke him out of his reverie.

Haruka tilted his head, shifted his body, and turned to his brother. "What is it, Sou-nii?"

"Mama and Papa aren't getting along, are they?" sadness was evident in Sousuke's voice, and Haruka's stomach fell when he was countered with the issue—it was the last thing he wanted to think about.

Haruka didn't understand what Sousuke meant—Sousuke was two years older anyway—and Haruka wondered how his big brother was very subtle towards the issue, and assumed Sousuke must've known more about this than he was. Maybe Sousuke knew something Haruka never knew or understood. Yeah, that must be it.

"Mama never comes home…" Haruka's eyes downcast, and his voice filled with loneliness. "But when she does, she never speak to Papa."

"Yeah," Sousuke nodded in agreement. "When they speak, it will always turn into a quarrel."

"Quarrel?" Haruka asked, limited on his vocabulary. "You mean all the shouting and angry noises they make when they talk?"

"Yes…" Sousuke replied. He got up to his sitting position and looked into Haruka's pure, innocent eyes. The thought of his quarrelling parents almost made Sousuke go crazy—he remembered whenever his mother yelled to his father, and Mr. Yamazaki beat her up in return. Sometimes, Sousuke would find bruises present on Mrs. Yamazaki's body the next day, and the woman will be long gone and returned home for a week or two.

His parents were always looked happy and loving until Haruka was born.

Sousuke thought Haruka's presence was like a curse…

No….

Wait! He can't think that! The brunet shook his head frantically, grimace staining his handsome features. Haruka was his little brother and the only source of solace; they only had each other!

Whenever Sousuke just wanted to shut himself inside the room during his parents' fight, Haruka will always try cheer him up without trying—he would be speaking in high pitched voices with his dolphin or whale shark plushie to persuade Sousuke. Sometimes, even Haruka's annoying ranting about water and mermaids may cheer him up.

Haruka would be always by his side, reciting the story of the little mermaid rather emotionally—Sousuke had heard it a thousand times, and the difference of Haruka's tale was how the little boy delivered it. Even though Sousuke had the urge to throw the mermaid movie,listening to his brother's childish tale was better than listening to his parents' quarrel. He envied Haruka; the boy never seemed to be intrigued by his parents' business, not until Sousuke mentioned it earlier.

Without Haruka, his life would be a lot lonelier. The pit of loneliness reverberated inside him and caused the brunet to broke into tears

"Sou-nii!" Haruka yelped, shaking his brother's bigger shoulders frantically.

Sousuke pulled Haruka's body closer to his, embracing him, and sniffing.

"_Haruka, even if our parents want to separate, I'm not going to allow that to happen for the both of us!"_

Haruka shook his head—not getting what it meant, but the way Sousuke said it made Haruka's chest tighter, and the raven-haired started sobbing.

"What do you mean, Sou-nii?" Haruka grumbled, tears streaking his cheeks. "Papa and Mama won't separate!"

Haruka tightened the embrace and started crying, and Sousuke could just hold on tight to his brother's body while it lasted—since he knew it's not gonna last forever. It's just a matter of time before his parents separate, and that's when Sousuke and Haruka need to part ways for good.

Sousuke wouldn't say that out loud though—he didn't want to scare Haruka more…

"Even if they are," Sousuke whispered to Haruka's ears. "I won't let it happen between the both of us…"

Suddenly, the door's bell rang and broke the boys from the embrace. They quickly wiped their tears and shared a momentary chuckle before heading out to the door. Then, the boys bickered who will get to open the door first. Sousuke, who was taller, immediately twisted the door's handle in ease, and left Haruka grumbling in the corner.

"Good evening, my little boys." A warm, elderly voice soothed the boys' heart like a remedy.

"_Nanase obaa-chan!" _the little boys chorused and hopped to their grandma's embrace. The elder woman kneeled and caressed the little heads lovingly.

"Sousuke and Haruka," a smile formed on her wrinkled face. "How is your day? Grandma brought some snacks."

The elder woman handed a plastic bag to the two brothers—soda ice cream and vanilla popsicle.

"_Soda_!" Sousuke and Haruka chorused, and glared to one another.

"I want the soda one, Sou-nii!" Haruka grumbled, pouting.

"Nah, soda is for me, you little fish." Sousuke let a tongue out.

"It's for me!" Haruka yelled.

"Fine fine, we will settle this with a throwdown!"

They performed the throwdown while Grandma Nanase was giggling lovingly at them, and as usual, Haruka always win by throwing a scissor against Sousuke's paper—Sousuke knew he was always suck at this.

"Yay! I got the soda!" Haruka cheered and snatched the soda ice cream from the paper bag, ripped the packaging and devoured the popsicle fiercely.

Sousuke could just smile silently at him as he gently licked his vanilla ice cream.

As the boys enjoyed their ice creams contendedly, a sad expression stained grandma Nanase's features. She called them. "Sou-chan, Haru-chan, come here."

The little boys halted, turned to his grandma and approached to the older woman obediently. "What is it?" Sousuke was the first one to ask.

It was clearly obvious that grandma Nanase forced out a smile on her lips, her voice trailed weakly. "Starting from tomorrow, Haruka and Hiromi will have to move to Iwatobi."

"Mama?" Haruka asked.

Grandma Nanase nodded, frowning. "Sousuke and Daisuke will have to stay here."

A deafening silence sunk to the room. Sousuke, who immediately noticed the situation, widened his eyes in dismay. "What do you mean?! Am I going to separate from Haruka?"

The older woman nodded again, her frown deepened. "I'm sorry Sou-chan. But Daisuke and Hiromi think it will be the best for both of you."

"Are we going to separate Sou-nii?" Haruka turned to his brother quizzically.

"Does that mean mom and dad will divorce?" Sousuke yelled at the older woman, ignoring Haruka. He clenched his fist in irritation, gritting his teeth. His stomach flipped, and he held the urge to cry.

"Calm down Sou-chan…" the older woman stood up, shaking Sousuke's stiff, cold shoulders.

"I don't know what's the meaning of this!" Sousuke was crying now. He hiccupped. "I swore… I would never… leave Haruka!"

Sousuke always noticed that their mother, Nanase Hiromi was clearly fond of Haruka instead of his older brother. Even though their mother seemed to love them equally, Sousuke noticed their difference, and he decided to keep it to himself. His mother would always called Haruka to the backyard garden and stroke his hair lovingly, sang a few songs from the little mermaid and spoiled the raven-haired boy.

But Sousuke never thought their difference in affection could cause departure between Haruka and him! Sousuke held the urge to begged Grandma Nanase to join them, for he knew it would cause more trouble than good. He needed to stay with his emotionally handicapped father, Yamazaki Daisuke. The thought made Sousuke wanted to puke, but asking Haruka to stay was selfish.

Haruka tilted his head downwards, hiding his darkened expression. Quietly, hot tears dripped from his eyes and all the way to his chin. Sousuke, who noticed Haruka's trembling shoulders, squeezed the tiny shoulders.

"Don't cry…" Sousuke's voice was dark, and he squeezed Haruka harder, made the little boy flinched and cried harder. Sousuke's eyes glowered in anger, sadness and loneliness. Gradually, Haruka's crying became unbearable to him and he yelled crossly.

"_Dammit Haruka, Stop crying!"_

Grandma Nanase squinted her eyes, unable to bear the scene before her. It's pretty clear Haruka and Sousuke cared for each other so much, they only have each other after all.

"Now now, it's getting late." Grandma Nanase approached them, and turned to Haruka. "You need to sleep early Haru-chan. Tomorrow, you need to pack early."

Haruka nodded without turning to his grandma. The little boy dragged his heavy feet to his bedroom reluctantly—the next day when he woke up, everything will be taken away from him—including Sousuke. Haruka had dried his tears and had the urge to do nothing as he walked to his bedroom like a dead zombie.

Sousuke's eyes widened in dismay as he saw the heaviness in his brother's footsteps. He hastily skipped beside Haruka, forced out a smile and took Haruka's frozen hands, gripping them tightly.

"It would be alright." Sousuke whispered, trying to smile. "Stop crying you little dolphin brat."

Haruka gripped his brother's warm hands and smiled warmly. The two kids walked inside the bedroom side by side, and closed the door behind them.

Once the little kids were out of sight, Grandma Nanase sunk to her knees and broke into tears—tonight will be the last day where Sousuke and Haru will spend their time together. The world was too cruel to let it be.

* * *

><p><strong>AN= please rate and review ^^ Thank you~**

**what have I done**


	2. Butterfly Kisses

**a/n= Thank you so much for the ratings in the first chapter ^^ and the updates will be slow and all so I apologize -"** **please rate and review ^^**

* * *

><p>It was already the twelfth hour, but Haruka was still wide-awake—sobbing, sniffing and burying himself under the dolphin and whale shark plushies. Sousuke settled beside him, playing with Haruka's strands of hair. The big brother remained silent—his cloudy eyes casted downwards, and his shoulders were stiff. Haruka couldn't even tell if his brother was alive—well at least the little boy could see the rising and falling on Sousuke's chest.<p>

"Sou-nii…" Haruka melted their silence, and turned to meet his brother's dark cerulean orbs. He gulped before speaking— slightly intimidated of his brother's grim, brooding expression. "If we are going to be separated, what can we do?"

The tangling on Haruka's hair paused, and Sousuke slowly tilted his head. He said nonchalantly. "I don't know."

"Sou nii…" Haruka crept to his brother's lap, his already-dried eyes bubbled with tears again. "I don't want to be alone! I want to be free, with you!"

"Yeah Haruka," Sousuke's voice trailed lazily. "I know what you mean, now go to sleep already. Tomorrow you need to pack up…"

Haruka felt his patience had been pushed on edge and he knew he couldn't keep up with Sousuke's mask. He gritted his teeth and lunged to his brother, flipping and rolling until he topped over Sousuke. Despite their huge size difference, their faces were only an inch apart. Haruka's ragging breath fanned Sousuke's face, and Sousuke looked at him in disbelief, gaping.

"…Haruka," the words slowly flowed out of Sousuke's lips. "What's wrong?"

"You're so stupid!" Haruka yelled tearfully, a bead of tear leaked from his eyes, running all the way to his chin. "Why are you being like this Sou-ni? You feel lonely, didn't you? Are you Sou-nii? You can't hide it from me!"

Haruka's words were like daggers slowly pushed into his heart. Sousuke sobbed and bit his lip—no he must not cry, especially in front of Haruka. If he can't look tough, it will be a huge burden for his little brother, and his own pride.

"I do." Sousuke curtly answered, his voice was like a whisper, but gradually increased in volume. "I just don't want to think how I'm going to be alone, idiot! I just want to get this over with! _Shit! _Why do we have to follow our parents' orders? The thought of having you with me today and will lose you tomorrow kills me! Don't you get it?"

Sousuke's breath ragged against Haruka's face—he was crying now. This was the first time Sousuke had cried in front of his brother. After all this time, he'd been keeping everything to himself, and then everything had been spilled right in front of the last person he wanted to show his weakness to.

Haruka saw the flooded misery in Sousuke's eyes and slowly moved away from his brother's body, got to his sitting position. Haruka crossed his knees and casted his gaze downwards, frowning.

"We will be fine." There was slight optimism in Haruka's soft voice. "After all, we promised to be free together."

Sousuke studied his brother's features—Haruka looked miserable, but there was a small smile plastered on his face. The fact that Haruka was still able to smile enlightened Sousuke. He placed his hands to Haruka's cheeks, stroking them as softly and slowly as possible.

"You should smile often," Sousuke said. "No matter what, please always smile. If you do, everything will be fine when we're apart."

Haruka held tight to his brother's hand, and Sousuke's words resonated in the depths of his heart—his brother's last advice. Even though Sousuke had gave Haruka lots of minor advices in the past—don't run in the halls, sleep before eleven, and or do homework before watching little mermaid, Haruka never intended to keep those advices, whether he forget them or purposely avoid them.

Haruka hugged his brother tightly, and sniffed the comforting smell of his brother's shirt. He will remember the scent; no _he needed it. _

Haruka muffled. "I love you, Sou-nii."

Sousuke's brows arched, and he almost jerks from Haruka's tight embrace. He looked at his brother, whose face flushed in beet red, and Sousuke realized his own face was reddening as well. He gently squeezed Haruka's shoulder, and whispered to his ears.

"I love you too," Sousuke smiled warmly at his brother. "Nanase Haruka."

With that, Sousuke planted a kiss on Haruka's forehead. Like a magic spell, Haruka immediately drifted to sleep. He dreamt his brother and him were walking over the water surface, heading towards the endless, vast, eternal blue before them, side by side. Forever.

* * *

><p>The next morning had been a nightmare, but the siblings tried not to make a big deal out of it. Haruka pulled his old, blue duffel back and shoved all his belongings into the limited suitcase. His mother, Nanase Hiromi kept notifying him that Haruka will not get the chance to come back to take all his belongings in the next time, so Haruka took everything he could get.<p>

Sousuke, being the good big brother he was, helped his brother with his belongings. Since the siblings woke up, they had been silent and neither was talking to one another—for they knew their actions spoke louder their words; their separation was not something lightly to talk about.

"Hey Haruka," Sousuke finally spoke up after he managed to forced in a few of Haruka's undies inside the backpack. "I think you might want to bring this."

The brunet handed the brother a small, whale shark plushie. Haruka looked at it in awe, and brought it closer to his arms. He nodded. "Thank you, Sou-nii."

Sousuke grabbed Haruka's dolphin plush and grinned. "In return, can I have this too?"

Haruka, who used to get paranoia when his brother touched his favorite toy, nodded reassuringly, smiled. "Sure, please keep Nanase Aqua safe."

"Yeah, and please take care of Yamazaki Cola too!" Sousuke grinned.

"Sou-nii, you're obsession of cola seemed to be going overboard. It's not good for your health." Haruka said, teasing him.

"Don't lecture me, you little brat." Sousuke stroke Haruka's hair messily and caused the little boy to wince.

"I have combed my hair! Stop messing it again!"

"Why? Do you have a girlfriend to impress?"

"I'm unlike you, who never combs his hair!"

"It's a huge waste of time," Sousuke let out a tongue. "No wonder you never grow. You spend so much time on your _hair."_

The little boys shared a momentary chuckle and halted when Hiromi ushered Haruka to be quicker. Then, they shared the next moment in apprehended silence, until Haruka turned to his brother.

"Sou-nii!" he smiled brightly. "Take care, okay?"

Sousuke bit his lip, and gave out a light smile. "Yeah, you too okay."

In a swift gesture, Haruka leaned closer and locked their lips together. Sousuke's eyes widened, mixed emotions—shock, fear, panic—overwhelmed his facial expression. But the brunet didn't jerk away; he gave it in. Haruka's plump lips were soft, and Sousuke will never forget its sensation.

"What is this?" Sousuke asked his brother, almost screaming.

"In the movie, Ariel kissed the prince." Haruka fiddled his fingers nervously. "That is a sign of love, isn't it?"

Sousuke blushed, and he chuckled mildly. "I should've report that the mermaid movie actually teaches the kids unnecessary stuff. Well, I should report all _Disney_ movies, especially _Lion King_."

"What?" Haruka asked, confused.

"Never mind. Now quick, get in the car!"

* * *

><p>After throwing his backpack to the trunk, Haruka hopped in to the passenger's seat besides his mother. His mother had taken her time calling a few of her 'subordinates' in Iwatobi, so Haruka had some time to contemplate on his surroundings.<p>

Behind the car window, he saw his father and Sousuke stood in front of their gate for departure. For the first time, Haruka saw Yamazaki Daisuke looked so relax, unlike usual—restless and moody. The older man had the same messy hair and cerulean eyes like Sousuke, except wrinkles was present on his face. Haruka needed to admit his father was quite good looking.

Haruka smiled to the Yamazakis and waved his arms. Sousuke did the same, but his father just gave him a light, curt smile. Then his mother finally turned off her cell and turned to her son.

"Should we get going? Haru-chan?" she asked him in a soothing voice.

Haruka nodded silently, and his mother started the car engine. Soon, the car was already moving further and further away from his home. Haruka turned back to look at Sousuke's face one last time, and held the urge to cry. After Sousuke and his father were out of sight, Haruka broke into tears and constantly yelled his brother's name while hugging his whale shark plush. His mother bit her lip, trying to shut off her son's crying voice.

Meanwhile on Sousuke's side, his father immediately walked in to the house after the car started departing. Sousuke remained, and brooded over Haruka's departure—properly this time—in tears.

* * *

><p>The trip had seemed to drag on forever until his mother's car brake in front of a little cottage in front of Iwatobi. Haruka finally opened his eyes, and wiped the drool on his lips. His brows rose when he noticed the time on his watch: 12.30. Three hours had passed since then….<p>

Haruka noticed he was still clutching to Sousuke's whale shark. His eyes were puffy and red, and it took awhile until Haruka could blink his eyes properly.

"Haru-chan! We're here!" his mother said to him excitedly, and his son wondered where his mother got the energy from despite for driving for three hours straight.

Haruka unbuckled his seat belts and hopped out of the car. The air in Iwatobi was strangely more relaxing than back on his hometown. Haruka noticed unusual voices—the light swishing of water, the crying of the gulls, and light footsteps slapping against the sand.

Then his eyes widened when he saw an ocean nearby. His body trembled in excitement, and the little boy held the urge to swim. He yelled cheerfully.

"Look at that, Sou-nii!" he pointed towards the ocean, particularly talking to no one. "That's where Ariel lives, isn't it? Come on Sou-nii, let's swim there to find it out!"

Hiromi looked at her son in disbelief, brows drooping. She gently scooped her son's body and carried it on her back, whispering. "Remember, your brother isn't here with you anymore, isn't he?"

Suddenly, Haruka's eyes widened in realization. His stomach felt tight, and he bit his lip to held the urge to cry. That's right, Sousuke isn't here anymore….

"But on the other side, look Haru-chan," his mother pointed towards the sea. "Our house was so close to the water world you've been dreaming for! You may find Ariel in the sea—"

"Mom," Haruka interrupted him. "Mermaids don't exist."

His mother turned to her son, who was surprisingly cold and dark. Haruka's eyes were clouded with no emotions, and his lips formed a tight straight line, frowning. Haruka was always so cheeky and cheerful, and this is the first time his mother had seen her son like this.

"Haru-chan…" her mother kneeled beside him.

"Enough," Haruka said as he dragged his backpack inside the house. "Let's go inside. It's hot out here."


	3. Other Half

**a/n= This chapter might've some mistakes because it's un-beta'd yet and i'm really in a hurry ^^'''' it took me awhile to write this chapter because I rewrite this chapter like three times!**

**Please rate and review ^^**

* * *

><p>Three months had passed since then.<p>

Haruka had been living in Iwatobi with his mom and grandmother. As usual, his mother rarely stayed at home, using her 'work' as an excuse. His mother was less frequent to stay by his side, so Haruka didn't feel lonely at the slightest.

But these three months had been hell for the six year old, who was spending most of his time curling under the sheets, cradling to the whale shark plushie Sousuke had given him.

Sometimes the raven haired boy will simply skipped dinner, or he will spent the entire evening sprawling lazily on his bed, holding the cotton whale shark and mumbling 'Sou-nii' as if it was the mantra to kept him alive.

His grandmother would peer at her grandson through the little opening on the door. A tight line formed on her lips, and her chest felt tight. It was natural for her grandson to act like this—he spent most of his time with Sousuke after all; it was like losing his other half.

"Haru-chan." The older lady quietly made her way beside the boy, settled herself beside him. "Tonight grandma will make some mackerels. What do you want it to be? Baked? Fried? Or even miso?"

It took awhile for the little boy to respond, as Haruka—for the first time in weeks—actually got up to his sitting position and put on a dazed expression, as if he just woke up from a dream. As the older woman was about to repeat her question, Haruka replied.

"…-nii…" his voice was like a whisper.

The older lady gulped, sighing inwardly—for she knew what Haruka was about to say without urging the boy to spoke in a higher volume. Yet she tried to keep herself calm and composed, that's what a typical grandma should do after all. Her fingertips trailed into Haruka's smooth, ebony hair, caressing them as gently as possible, as if one careless touch would break the boy to pieces.

"I know that," his grandma chuckled. "You want to see your brother, didn't you?"

Haruka's lips parted and close, then he nodded. "I want to see Sou-nii."

His grandma reached out to his little boy, embracing him tightly. "All right, we'll meet him tomorrow. Now, let's have dinner."

"Tomorrow?" Haruka's eyes slowly widened, expecting a definite 'yes'.

The older woman bit her lip, but then a small smile graced into her lips. "Yes, we will."

Finally, a tiny smile formed on Haruka's lips. Without his grandma telling him to walk to the dining room, the little boy skipped happily on the halls, whale shark plushie in hand.

While his grandma was left with a wide pit on anxiety. She had to tell the same lie over and over again—every single day—and Haruka will always acknowledge it, no matter how repetitive.

After Haruka had dinner, he continued his evening by watching some dolphin documentaries and a few of his favorite scenes from little mermaid. The little boy would always clutch his whale-shark plushie whenever he saw Ariel ended up with the prince instead of turning into foam. Sometimes, he snapped his gaze away from the movie and simply looked at the little toy longingly, missing his brother's presence. The whale shark has a wide mouth as wide as his brother's yawning.

At eight P.M, Nanase Hiromi arrived at home and slipped quietly through the living room, meeting her mother—Haruka's grandma—, and made sure her son didn't notice her incoming footsteps. The older woman looked at her daughter questioningly, craning her head.

"Why are you being so quiet, Hiromi?"

The younger woman looked torn by the tone of her mother's voice. She suddenly crashed to the floor, sobbing quietly. "I met Daisuke today, with Sousuke."

The grandmother's eyebrows arched, gaped when the name 'Sousuke' was mentioned.

She slowly kneeled beside her daughter, leaned closer to her, whispering.

"What happen back there?" the older woman's gaze steeled, squeezing her daughter's cold shoulders.

"I talk to Sousuke," Hiromi's voice croaked, sniffing. "I know how much Haruka missed him and then…"

Hiromi sobbed harder, and gradually her quiet weeping turned into a loud wail. Her mother pulled the weeping mother to her embrace— keeping Hiromi's voice muffled in her breast—in order to keep Haruka's presence in the way. Judging from where the conversation was going, the older woman knew getting Haruka involved might not be the best way.

"Sousuke didn't acknowledge me."

Then the grandma's eyes widened in horror, gaping. "What do you mean?"

"He yelled at me, and accused me for pretending to be his mother," Hiromi's voice was dying. "He also stated that his mother had passed away, and he didn't know me."

"Oh my god…" her mother's heart skipped a beat, but her age was young enough that her heartbeat was still able to remained normal at times. "What about Haruka? Did he mention anything about Haruka?"

Hiromi shook her head frantically, meeting her mother's steeled gaze. "I don't remember, or I don't want to remember!"

"I want at least Haruka to meet Sousuke again…" the grandmother spoke softly, eyes softened.

"I know, Haruka is dying of his presence!" Hiromi's voice rose, yelling. "Haruka is still young! I can't believe he undergo this kind of situation. I wish he knew the _truth_…"

The older's woman eyes widened again, wider this time. She gave a light slap on Hiromi's cheeks, glaring at her daughter. "No, you must never mention it in front of Haruka. Come to think of it, if you never go to that place back then…"

"I know mother!" Hiromi flailed her arms desperately. "I know! It was my fault!"

"Haruka was the one in pity here!" the older's woman voice raised angrily, and suddenly she sunk further to her knees, coughing and spitting blood.

"Mama…" Hiromi stared at her in horror, and made her way to help her parent before the older woman tapped her hand away as if Hiromi's hand contained infection.

"Don't worry about me." The older woman shook her hand. "Worry about our little Haruka." She applied a handkerchief to the red stain on her shirt, tiling her head downwards. "What I can tell is, you should call him."

"Him?" Hiromi's eyes widened, curious.

"The one who was responsible."

Hiromi was quiet for a second. A familiar name struck to her mind, and the younger woman slowly spilled the word out as if the name was heavy on her lips.

"Tachibana."

The bright sunlight filtered through the windows of Haruka's bedroom, showering the dark room with radiant, welcoming light. Haruka squinted his eyes and got to his sitting position, groaning. He tilted his head downwards, meeting his gaze with his whale shark plushie—tightly gripped between his fingertips.

"Good morning, Cola." He whispered, smiling. The little boy planted a light kiss on the cotton plush's head, and stumbled to the bathroom with his beloved plush, not afraid of getting it wet. After all, whale sharks lived in water after all.

He noticed there were more than two voices muffling behind his bedroom door. He heard his mother's giggling voice and a deep voice of a male. He could hear his grandmother's voice very briefly, but her voice was blocked by loud, screaming noises of children. Haruka sighed—guests, and it meant for him to approach and greet them with a fake smile on his face.

He stormed out of the room and approached to the dining table, which was horrendously populated with five strangers and her two parents. They all looked way to cheerful in the morning, but Haruka didn't care enough of the details.

"Good morning Haru-chan!" Hiromi beamed at him and hugged her son tightly, sniffing his ebony hair.

"Mom, knock it off." Haruka shrugged, not even trying to resist his grip.

Suddenly, a deep male voice piped up in the corner. "Ah, so this is Haruka-kun!"

Haruka's eyes followed the incoming voice. There was a tall man sitting beside her grandmother, sipping her mother's prepared tea. He has broad shoulders with a pair of twin brown orbs behind his glasses. His hair was shaggy brown, and he seemed to give off a friendly aura.

Hiromi smiled, and whispered to Haruka. "Greet him Haruka, he was our neighbor. Tachibana Hayato."

Haruka looked up to the man, and curtly greeted him. "Hello."

The man giggled, scratching his chin. "He's as you described Hiromi! Cute, stoic and has a beautiful hair!"

Hiromi flushed, beaming. "I know right!"

Then, a younger woman with dark green hair and a pair of warm green eyes approached them, smiling warmly like her husband. The two was like a pair of sunshine.

"So this is Haruka-chan!" she giggled and patted Haruka's head, and caused the little boy to shrugged in annoyance. "He inherited all your good looks, Hiromi!"

"Come on Mikoto-san!" Hiromi playfully slapped the woman's shoulders. "Your son is the same!"

"Well, I can't say, he's too huge for his age." Mikoto crossed her arms, frowning. Then, a bright smile flashed to her face. "Oh yeah I almost forgot."

She turned around to the three kids—delightfully and noisily shoving Haruka's grandmother's speciality pancake to their mouth. Mikoto tapped the biggest boy of the group in the shoulders. "Makoto, come here."

The boy called Makoto, who looked identical with his mother, obediently placed his half finished pancake and followed her quietly. Mikoto lightly pushed her son closer to Haruka, smiling.

"Here Makoto! This is Haruka! The boy I told you last night!"

A shy smile graced to Makoto's lips, but he offered a hand to Haruka—who looked at it in an alarming manner.

"N-Nice to meet you, my name is Makoto."

Haruka's hands were sweating, clueless what to do. After all, he's spent the last three months shutting himself inside his room without socializing. The raven-haired grabbed his hand nervously.

"H-Haruka."

Haruka didn't know what to think right now—but he was sure Makoto's hands were a lot warmer compared to Sousuke's, as if the little boy before him was his other half.


	4. Their Daily Life

**a/n= Thank you for the favs and follows everyone! I was very happy to know that some people actually find my story enjoyable.**

**Updates from now on will be pretty short, since school is busy and all, and I'm dealing with 2 fanfics haha ^^' sorry for the mistakes, I haven't get a beta for this.**

**Please R&R**

* * *

><p>"Haru-chan! Did you play that game I'd showed you yesterday?" The bright-eyed Tachibana Makoto shifted his gaze to Haruka, who was quietly licking the melting bits of ice cream under his popsicle stick.<p>

Haruka licked and swallowed the sweet liquid to his throat before he turned to Makoto. "You mean _Pokemon?_"

"Yeah!" Makoto nodded with enthusiasm. "So, did you try it? Which starter pokemon did you choose? Did you catch any more pokemon at the wild grass? What is your current level?"

Haruka sighed inwardly at the amount of questions bombarded at him—it was Makoto after all, it's not questionable for the brown-haired brunet to be more talkative to the raven-haired, since Makoto always initiated the conversation as if it was like his responsibility—even though Haruka knew pretty well Makoto was actually a shy, quiet boy like Haruka. Cut out the shy part, Haruka never cared to please people.

"Well, I obviously choose _Squirtle_ because he's water type, duh." Haruka giggled lightly, amused at his own voice. "As for wild pokemon, I didn't catch any."

"Heh? You didn't?" Makoto's eyes widened, shock. "So you only have Squirtle in your party? There are lots of good pokemon to choose from, like Pidgey!"

"I only catch water pokemon." Haruka replied curtly.

"But it's gonna be a problem when you're against your rival," Makoto tilted his head upwards, looking thoughtful. "Since if you're a water type, your rival must have Bulbasaur in his party. Maybe you at least can try to find a fire-type pokemon."

"I will try."

Six months had passed ever since Makoto and Haruka became friends. Haruka, obviously, was the type of person that's hard to befriend with, but Makoto has this kind of perseverance that pushed him to reach out towards the broken, quiet Haruka. Makoto's effort didn't ended up wasted after all.

The two kids were sitting at the backyard of the Tachibana household in comfortable silence, side by side. They often shared these kinds of moments together—simply looked at the scenery before them, even though Haruka had memorized well how the Tachibana's backyard look like, he'd come to enjoyed the silent company. So do Makoto, who never complained about it.

"Haru." Makoto called him in an intriguing tone. The shorter boy slowly turned his head towards the taller male, who was looking with him with an expression filled with pity or concern—Haruka hated that. No matter who—his mom, his grandma, Makoto's parents, Makoto's siblings or even Makoto himself will look at him like this, once in a while.

"What do you want to say, Makoto?" Haruka tried to keep his composure, even though he was sure the edginess in his voice.

Makoto looked taken aback. He was about to speak but paused before the words reached out to his lips. He fiddled with his fingers, shifted his legs nervously and tilted his head downwards, finally speaking. "Isn't this the time you have to go to school, Haru?"

Hearing this, Haruka gulped. The popsicle stick slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground with an apologetic thud. Haruka opened his mouth to speak, but the words stuck on his throat like a sticky leech. Before Makoto steered their conversation, Haruka finally spoke up.

"I don't want to."

It's been nine months Haruka didn't continue his elementary school year. Ever since he moved from his old home, his mother had given Haruka a chance to adapt in Iwatobi, such as taking a break from his school life. But one of these days, everyone he thought he loved and cared about would pressed this subject, and they didn't know Haruka felt uneasy by the this. Socializing—after all the events that had happened—was the last thing in the world Haruka wanted to do.

He was contended with Makoto, not to mention his siblings—Ran and Ren—were nice towards Haruka, and in fact the twins saw Haruka as their second older brother. Makoto's parents were kind too, treating Haruka like their own child and doing a better parental job than his own parents. One of the people in Tachibana household Haruka had come to fond of –aside from Makoto— was Makoto's father, Tachibana Hayato.

Hayato was a loving husband, and the man loved his wife and children equally, including Haruka. He even purchased a rubber pool for the little boy for his sixth birthday a few weeks ago. Haruka hoped Hayato was his father instead of Yamazaki Daisuke, his _biological _father Haruka had come to regret from the family he was born in.

"You have to go to school Haruka," Makoto smiled at him, his voice trembling as if he's choosing the right words to say. "You can't always stay at home like this."

"I told you I don't want to." Haruka glared at Makoto, his frown deepened.

Makoto could only shut his mouth at this point. He knew if he pressed further, it would affect his friendship with Haruka. Instead of doing anything to upset his friend, Makoto snatched his Gameboy from the nearby table and turned the console on, the pokemon theme song rang from the little device.

"Should we play instead, Haru-chan?" Makoto forced out a bright smile, even though his cheek muscles were aching.

Haruka's frown disappeared and in an instant, it broke into a wide smile as the raven-haired snuggled closer to Makoto, peering towards the pixelated screen in excitement. They ended up spending the whole afternoon playing, pretending to forget their recent conversation.

* * *

><p>Sousuke walked to school in agony.<p>

His hand tightly clutching his left shoulder, the pain nearly killed him. He knew he was just eight years old, but he was already inflicted with serious injury. Aside from carrying the heavy backpack on his shoulders, his bruised feet reluctantly carried the brunet to the pavement way to school.

Usually, the walk to school was like an adventure—racing with Haruka, debating which middle school girl has the biggest breast, and trying to climb the vending machine nearby their school to test who will got the cola first.

Now, the walk to school was like the second hell after home. Sousuke quietly looked around the surroundings, making sure nobody was nearby, especially his classmates. He slipped himself to the nearest vending machine, leaning against it.

He crouched to his feet and carefully, he rolled the sleeves to his trousers and a bright, red mark appeared on his ankle. Gingerly, he smoothed his hand against the injury, constantly wincing. Trying to held back his tears, Sousuke rolled the sleeves back to normal and quietly unbuttoned his school uniform, and enough to showed his torso.

Blue and purple marks present all over his body, and Sousuke didn't want to imagine how would it feel if he let his own hands touch his own injury.

_Papa had done it again._

Finally Sousuke stood up, shaking his head. No, he can't let that show. He could just walk to the nurse office and tell her he'd gotten himself to a fight. Yes, that sounded convincing.

"Haruka," Sousuke smiled weakly, gazing towards the sky. "How are you doing on your side?"

The brunet pulled out the dolphin plush from his backpack, stained with alcohol and antiseptics. Applying any kind of cotton or medics will burn Sousuke's skin like hell, but it was different when he applied the alcohol or painkiller to his skin through the dolphin plush belonged to his brother—maybe it was the only thing that kept him sane, for a while.

* * *

><p><strong>an= I don't know if I'm crying or laughing since idk how to feel anymore. **

**Thank you for reading!**


	5. His Soulmate

**a/n= Sorry for the long updated, I've been so busy lately. I also apologized for the lack of Haruka in this chapter. This chapter is dedicated to Sousuke.**

**And this chapter is short :p**

**Please review! And thank you for all the support :D**

* * *

><p>"<em>Sousuke!"<em>

Sousuke's eyes widened. He quickly buttoned his clothes and smoothed the messy wrinkles on his shirt. After wiping the tears on his eyes, he turned around to meet the short, maroon-haired boy, who was sauntering towards him, smiling.

"Morning loser." Sousuke forced his laugh, straightening his backpack in a superior manner.

Hearing his new name, Rin frowned, pouting. Sousuke thought it looked cute—any kind of stupid facial expression his best friend made always amused Sousuke.

"Shaddup, _baka-suke_!" Rin huffed, crossing his arms.

"Look who's talking." Sousuke elbowed him. "You're the new kid here."

"Yeah, but my social life is better than you." Rin let a tongue out, skipping at the spot. "Oh, how the irony."

Matsuoka Rin was Sousuke's newfound best friend who had just transferred in to Sano elementary school five months ago. Rin was too upbeat and cheerful for his age, and he always grinned like an idiot as if his cheeks were made of rubber—Sousuke wondered if Rin's cheeks were really made that way...

The first time Rin arrived on Sano, many students made fun of his girly name—it was his own fault who emphasized it during his introduction. Rin didn't seemed to mind the bully, and for some reason, he ended up spending his time with the quiet and melancholic Sousuke.

But Sousuke had to admitted it was fun being with him.

"Hey Sousuke." Rin shifted his gaze from the road to his best friend, checking him from top to toe—concern was evident in his eyes. "What happen to your shoulders?"

Sousuke's eyes snapped wide, and jerked his hands off from his shoulders; the brunet was shock that he'd been holding it for the whole time. Trying to find excuses, the brunet raked his head sheepishly, laughing.

"Oh, I fell from a tree beside my house."

"You're lying, there are no trees beside your house. They are bed of flowers."

"Oh, my mistake, haha." Sousuke chuckled dryly, sweating. His body was dipped with cold sweat, and he gulped when he noticed the distrust on Rin's face.

"Then why are you walking weirdly?"

"Weirdly?" Sousuke asked, confused.

"Your left foot is limping." Rin answered curtly.

Then, they shared the next moments in silence. Sousuke wasn't inclined to explain, so he solely looked at his best friend nonchalantly. On the other hand, Rin was giving him the _tell me everything _glare. Trying to escape from Rin, Sousuke slid his right foot to the side, planning to slide pass the red haired boy. But the pain on his left foot halted him, and the brunet crashed to the ground, groaning.

"_Sousuke!" _Rin's voice peaked, and the redhead kneeled beside him.

"Dammit Rin." Sousuke groggily got to his feet, holding back his groaning. "I'm fine, stop crying, will ya?"

"We need to treat you now!" Rin yelled frantically, and in a swift motion, the redhead pushed the taller brunet to the wall, pinning Sousuke while Rin crawled up to Sousuke's lap, comfortably sitting on it.

Sousuke was about to fight back, but the pain in his muscles seeped all his energy to fight back. Before Sousuke could at least push Rin with the energy he'd left, Rin unfold the brunet's trousers, exposing the wound.

Rin gasped in a theatrical manner.

The wound burnt on Sousuke's skin like wildfire, and it reminded Sousuke of the sunset. The moment Rin's fingers delicately brushed against his wound, Sousuke felt numb instead of pain—because the pain was evident on Sousuke's eyes as he watched Rin's silent tears running on his cheeks.

"Who did this to you?" Rin yelled, furious. His eyes were raging with emotions—sadness or anger—Sousuke couldn't tell, but he couldn't help but felt a little bit guilty to be the catalyst of Rin's emotions.

"…no one."

"Tell me!" Rin's voice peaked up, hiccupping in process.

"My dad." Sousuke answered finally.

Rin froze. His hands fell weakly to the side. Cursing, the redhead used all his remaining energy to got to his feet. He crouched, and to Sousuke's dismay, he slid Sousuke's arms around his neck.

"W-what are you doing?" Sousuke asked weakly; he didn't like where was this going.

"Carrying you." Rin replied without turning to him.

"But Rin…" Sousuke was about to protest.

"Shut up." Rin answered bitterly. But, the redhead turned to him, grinning. "Baka-suke."

Sousuke sighed—well his best friend was always this stubborn—once Rin was into something, it would take an eternity to pull the redhead to his senses.

"Hey Baka-suke." Rin called him, eyes still fastened on the road.

"What is it?"

"I love you."

"What?"

"Platonically."

Sousuke sighed, tugging the hem of Rin's shirt. "You almost give me a heart attack you know, Rin."


	6. Don't Call me again

**a/n= I apologize for the very long hiatus. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, I really appreciate it!**

**Yes, based on comments in AO3 and here, many of you want Souharu to grow up! Don't worry, it won't be long. It's not like I don't like flashbacks, I prefer to play it in the chronological order, since it's the flow of the story.**

**And look, I put some 'cameo' here, let's see if you guys can figure it out.**

**Please R&R!**

* * *

><p>On that evening, the Christmas atmosphere finally enveloped Iwatobi.<p>

It was three days until Christmas, and the Nanase and Tachibana mothers were very busy purchasing Christmas decorations and snacks during the sale. Haruka's grandmother joined them.

Haruka planted himself under the Tachibana's Christmas tree. His eyes glazed through the kaleidoscopic spheres hung on the edge of the plastic figs—Back then, the Christmas in the Yamazaki household was kind of similar—vivid, crowded Christmas trees, fat boxes of presents and festive dinners with turkeys and Haruka's favorite mackerel. It was when Haruka was four years old and now it was nothing but a distant memory.

The Tachibana Christmas too was indeed a spectacular one—there were many types of decorations with different shapes and sizes, not to mention there were real crystals too, and a costly star shaped figure placed on top. Tiny beads of flashing, color light looped around the tree's waist. Like the Tachibana family, this tree was filled with warmth.

"This tree is very beautiful, right Haru-chan?" Makoto's voice broke Haruka out of his reverie. The taller male hopped down from a chair he'd set up to put a few colorful balls on the particular empty spot on the tree.

Haruka nodded, agreed. He hoped his mother and grandmother would buy big, festive Christmas decorations like the Tachibana, but considering their unsupportive finance, Haruka thought they would buy simpler ones and probably the ones in the sales counter. The thought made Haruka a little bit downhearted, but it's not like he can do anything. The fact that the family still decided to celebrate Christmas at least made the boy a little bit grateful.

Makoto went somewhere to the living room, leaving Haruka alone. He was having a little battle with his siblings to not play with the decorations as Haru could heard Makoto's desperate tone echoing from the distance.

As Haruka quietly scrutinized the Christmas tree, he saw orca plush hung on the center—it's soft, black-and-white features stood out from the rest of the colorful, hard ornaments.

The sight made Haruka squeezed the whale shark plushie he'd been holding quiet awhile. Deeply, he wondered what would Sousuke and his dad do for Christmas. Will they run another Christmas party like the good old days? Will Mr. Yamazaki disturb the neighbors in a Santa costume like he used to? Is Sousuke looking forward for this Christmas party?

The thought of Sousuke made Haruka even lonelier. He wanted to cry, but his tears had dried a long time ago. Sousuke might not remember him, but Haruka was too stubborn to believe. He promised, right? Sousuke owned his favorite dolphin plush, so Sousuke will not forget him. That's the only evidence his relationship with Sousuke ever existed.

Suddenly, he felt warm hand squeezing his shoulders. Haruka's eyes widened. He slowly craned his head and saw Mr. Tachibana crouching beside him. Makoto's father. The man resembled his son, a lot. Haru could tell Makoto got his deep, olive eyes and broad features. But one of the things Haruka could see from Makoto was how he got his kind-like personality.

"What are you doing Haru, daydreaming?" Mr. Tachibana smiled warmly at him that it almost made Haru wanted to cry. Haruka had never felt such kind, hospitable treatment from his _father_, Mr. Yamazaki.

"Um…" Haruka started being bashful, voice croaked like a green, sick toad. "Your family's Christmas tree, is beautiful."

Mr. Tachibana nodded in acknowledgement, smiling. "Yes, my wife and Makoto were very eager when it comes to decorating these kinds of stuff."

Haruka tilted his heads downwards, fidgeting his fingers. His nails sunk deep to the whale shark plushie. Mr. Tachibana's brows arched when he saw the gesture. Gently, he pulled the whale shark plushie from Haruka's hand, and he flipped the toy upside-down, checking out on it.

"Where did you get this?" his voice was soft, asking the raven-haired male.

Gulping, Haruka replied bluntly. "My brother. Yamazaki Sousuke."

Mr. Tachibana stiffened, furrowing his brows. For a moment, his expression was grim, as if he was a different person. But a moment later, a gentle smile graced to his lips.

"Yamazaki-kun huh…" his voice was distant, but smiling. "Is he a good brother to you?"

Haruka nodded. His feet brushed lightly against the floor. "I miss Sou-nii."

Mr. Tachibana's eyes slowly widened, studying the distant features on Haruka's face. His lips formed a tight line, and he reached out to Haruka's stiffened shoulders, caressing them with gentleness as light as a feather. Haruka moved uneasily by the gesture, but the raven-haired eventually obeyed to the touch, shoulders relaxed.

"I know how it feels to lose someone so important to you." Mr. Tachibana whispered on his ears. "Sousuke really means a lot to you, isn't he?"

Haruka nodded slightly. "Yes."

Mr. Tachibana let out a dry chuckle. "I'm pretty sure Sousuke-kun is having a great time too. Oh I just know the plan!"

Haruka slightly turned to meet Mr. Tachibana's glowing, excited eyes. The raven-haired nudged his head in acknowledgement, urging the older male to talk.

"I can let you meet with Sousuke!"

By that simple statement, Haruka's eyes slowly widened, glowing with hope.

* * *

><p>Sousuke was lounging himself on Rin's bed, scattered with Christmas candies and Gou's Barbie dolls, to his dismay.<p>

Gou and Rin were having a little catfight on the floor, arguing about the misplaced Christmas decorations and Gou complaining that she already owned one of the Barbie dolls Rin gave her as a gift.

"Well, it's not like I keep an eye of those skinny toys of yours!" Rin spat.

"But, I don't want to keep two mermaids, brother!" Gou rebuked, crossing her arms.

Sousuke, as usual, sighed. Truth to be told, he'd come to fond the Matsuoka bickering—at least it was better than the deafening silence on the Yamazaki Household. His father's behavior had gotten worse lately, said the number of scars multiplied on Sousuke's body. Well, they were healing, for now.

Sousuke pulled out the dolphin plush, stained with alcohol. Sousuke was pretty sure Haruka had a good time somewhere out there, and it's just a matter of time the little boy will forget about him. The thought caused uneasiness swelling in his stomach, but Sousuke had gotten used to the thought.

"Oy, Sousuke!" Rin climbed up the bed and hung himself on Sousuke's shoulders. "What's that dirty plush?"

"It's not dirty." Sousuke glared at him, frowning.

Rin stifled, jerking on the spot. "You don't have to be so angry you know."

Sousuke wanted to retaliate, but the sight of Matsuoka Gou's innocent face pulled him back to do so. She's a little girl; she didn't deserve to get involve in this mess. Holding the urge to punch Rin on the face, Sousuke shuffled his hands to his pocket.

"This doll was given by someone important to me." Sousuke was now smiling, sheer fondness in his voice.

Rin craned his head quizzically, commenting. "Well, I noticed you always bring that doll with you everywhere. You even used it to treat your wounds."

Sousuke nodded. "This doll was given by someone very important to me. He's like, my brother or something."

"You have a brother?" Rin's eyes glowed with interest.

Sousuke gulped, ignoring the bile that had risen on his throat. The brunet nodded, frowning.

"Wow, then you can see him everyday! It must be nice! The person you love is your own sibling. If I fell in love with Gou, I will feel very happy because I can see her whenever I wake up in the morning! Am I right?"

A grimace expression came across his face, but then the face of Haruka drifted to his mind. Haruka's laugh when he was watching little mermaid, Haruka's cry when one of the goldfish passed away, and Haruka's nagging when the little boy persuaded his brother to catch stag beetles during summer break.

The scene was nostalgic, and familiar warmth engulfed his heart. The fact that he'd spent half of his life with Haruka was already enough with Sousuke. Things became more precious when you realized they were no longer with you.

Then a gentle smile graced into his lips, drowning his brooding expression. He turned to Rin, who was expecting for an answer. Smiling fondly, Sousuke nodded.

"Yes. I can see him everyday. That's what matters."

It's not a lie—his brother appeared in his dreams every night.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The boys jerked, surprised. The door opened and Rin's mother nudged her head inside the room, smiling.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a call for Sousuke-kun."

"M-me?" Sousuke blinked, confused.

"Yes, someone is calling you darling." Rin's mother beamed at him, and her eyes went to Rin, who was also looked surprised by the sudden intrude.

After glancing at his best friend, and Rin giving him an acknowledging nod, Sousuke slipped past Rin's mother and headed downstairs where the phone had been hung up for him. He looked at the phone alarmingly, assuming that nobody will actually contact him except his father. After a moment of hesitation, Sousuke brought the handset closer against his ears.

"Hello?" his voice was tiny, like a whisper.

The voice on the end of the line finally spoke brightly. "Ah! Sousuke-kun! It's been a long time!"

Sousuke's lips parted, recognizing its voice. He inhaled sharply before speaking.

"Uncle Hayato?"

* * *

><p>For the umpteenth time, Haruka exhaled a white steam from his mouth. He rubbed his palms together, shielding himself from the cold. Makoto's father had left him under the lamppost in the town of Iwatobi. The latter man told him to wait for Sousuke—was he telling him the truth? How does Makoto's father know Sousuke in the first place?<p>

All the questions drowned in his mind when he saw a familiar figure slowly approaching from the thick, white fog. Haruka felt his body aching, and his feet pedaled him to run towards the incoming figure.

After a very long time, a wave of emotions engulfed his heart; Haruka called out the name.

"_Sou-nii!"_

Finally, Sousuke appeared. The taller boy stared at his brother, lips parted. He pinched the scarf snaking his neck, and smiled to his brother after a moment of hesitation.

"Hello, Haruka." A tiny, loving smile slowly graced to his lips.

Hearing his name being called by his precious brother, warm tears bubbled up on Haruka's eyes. The raven-haired puffed his cheeks, sniffed, and threw himself to his brother's arms. Sousuke looked taken aback, but he started laughing as soon as his crybaby brother cradling around his body.

"Sou-nii!" Haruka made a sound somewhere between cry and laughter. He hiccupped, tears streaming along his reddened cheeks. "I miss you, Sou-nii!"

The raven-haired brushed his hair against his brother's chest, sniffing the familiarity of his scent. Sousuke looked down at his brother, smiling. His arms gently took the tinier figure and held it tight, not letting a moment to let go. Haruka's nails dug to Sousuke's shoulders, sniffing hopelessly like a lost child. Sousuke bit his lip, holding the urge to cry; he failed.

"_Haruka. Haruka." _Sousuke chanted Haru's name endlessly as salty tears flooded on his mouth. "Dammit, stop crying."

"My life sucks without you Sou-nii! Mama didn't buy me toys anymore! Grandma is very fierce at home! Then, they forbid me to watch little mermaid! I want to play in the ocean but…"

Haruka knew he was out of his character, but he can't help but to rant and rant and let all his feelings out in front of the person he loved the most. Sousuke stared at his brother fondly as Haruka quickly spit out all his ranting. A worried look flashed across his face when Haruka paused in the middle.

"But?"

"But I can't go to the ocean without you, Sou-nii." Haruka looked up to him, grinning.

A gentle smile graced to Sousuke's lips. The taller boy caressed his little brother's head gently, tangling Haruka's smooth, black locks with his big fingers. His hands slowly travelled to Haruka's arm and caught his tiny palm, squeezing them gently.

"Come on Haru, should we take a walk?" Sousuke's voice was smooth, as if he was asking a princess for a dance.

Without any hesitation, Haruka yanked his brother's arm, dangling happily on his brother's grip as they made their way to the snowy town.

* * *

><p>It was the best day for Haruka.<p>

The little raven-haired needed to rub his eyes for several times, still thinking everything that had happened was only a dream. Sousuke was walking beside him—talking, breathing, laughing, grinning, and joking with Haruka. His brother was here with him, for now.

The two boys strolled around the city until navy cottons of cloud were turning darker, signaling nighttime. The streetlights around the city pavement had lit up, as if they were walking in the nest of dragonflies. The small, round, kaleidoscopic Christmas lights had blushed, swallowing up the city's melancholic atmosphere with cheerful bright light.

Haruka and Sousuke, hand in hand, walked along the city in the middle of the crowd with wide smile on their faces. Right behind them, two boys of the same age were walking hand-in-hand like Sousuke and Haruka—one of the boys has teal, blue hair, and he was smiling at the taller boy with messy red hair. The scene made Sousuke and Haruka chuckle.

Sousuke and Haruka switched gazes, smiling fondly at each other. Haruka hoped time will stop for them, and he hoped Sousuke thinks the same way. Before Haruka could ask his brother, the shorter boy in front of boy looked to the taller boy, craning its tall head.

"Taiga-nii, tomorrow you're going to America right? Am I going to be alone again?" The shorter, teal haired boy frowned, tugging the hem of the taller boy's shirt.

The taller boy got to his knees and raked the shorter's boy messy hair, grinning ear by ear. "Don't worry Tetsu. We promised to be always together, right?"

Haruka and Sousuke stared at the scene, frowning lightly. They knew how it feels to be separated from the one you love the most, especially it had occurred to the two siblings. Haruka's gaze bored to the little couple—the taller boy was wiping the smaller boy's tears confidently, as if he was really sure their separation would not affect their friendship.

Then, Haruka turned to Sousuke, smiling. "Sou-nii, you will never leave me alone, right?"

No answer.

Haruka's eyes slowly widened. As the minutes passed by, Sousuke's brooding expression sunk deeper on his features. Haruka extended his hands to touch Sousuke's shoulder, but Sousuke's huge hand quickly grabbed Haruka's arms, and to Haruka's dismay, slapped his hands away.

Haruka's insides were stirring, and uneasiness slowly crept to his skin. Before his assumptions consumed him, Sousuke turned to his brother, deepening his frown. His stern, teal eyes, bored deep through Haruka's gaze.

"Haruka, I don't think we should see each other again."


	7. New Bonds and New Changes

**a/n= Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone have a good time with their families and friends!**

**I just have time to upload this since it's a holiday and I have nothing better to do!**

**So please R&R ^^ Reviews are appreciated!**

* * *

><p><span>Four years later.<span>

Haruka Nanase was a gifted freestyle swimmer.

His hands glided naturally in the water currents. His feet kicking like a dolphin. The Iwatobi Swim Club had started a rumor that there was an elementary prodigy freestyle swimmer, and it was nobody other than Haruka Nanase himself.

After his hands ceremoniously touched the finishing block, his head popped out of the water surface, and he let out a ragging breath, taking in all the air he had been holding back for the last two minutes.

Then he saw a hand holding out to him. Without looking up, he knew it was his best friend, Tachibana Makoto.

"Get up, Haru-chan!" he said it with his usual warm smile Haruka had come to familiar with

The tsundere dolphin shrugged. "Cut off the 'chan." Then he took Makoto's hand and slowly got out of the pool, water dripping from his torso.

It was already part of their daily live. After their class dismissed, the two boys will raced to the Iwatobi swim club to have their usual swimming routine. It was fun for Makoto, who suggested taking the swimming course first. Haruka was usually nonchalant about swimming, but Makoto could see the hint of excitement flickering in the raven-haired's eyes whenever he swims.

After a long year of mind-reading his best friend, Makoto knew very well Haruka's abnormal attraction to water.

"Haru-chan! That was so awesome!" a chirpy, high-pitched voice piped up from the corner. It was Nagisa Hazuki, who was their underclassmen and a potential breaststroke swimmer.

"I know right!" Makoto beamed at him, then turning to Haruka. "You know that you can enter to competitions, Haru-chan!"

"I only swim free." Haruka said curtly before departing to the locker room.

Makoto and Nagisa switched puzzled glances, then they giggled at Haruka's usual demeanor. The two boys chattered happily as Haruka got changed inside the locker room before punching steel locker door while gritting his teeth, causing some fearful stares from his teammates.

"I only swim free…." He said the word like a mantra to keep his sane. "Yes, I only swim free. Nothing else matters… yes, nothing else."

Passing through his staring teammates, Haruka slipped his feet to his shoes and made his way to the entrance of the Iwatobi swim club, walking home alone in the reddening evening.

* * *

><p>"Have you heard about it Sousuke?" Rin put his chopsticks down for a second, looking expectantly at his best friend.<p>

Sousuke stopped chewing and looked up to the grinning redhead. Sighing, he nudged his head for his best friend to continue. "Hm."

"You know, there is this freestyle swimmer at my swimming course!" Rin's eyes sparkled. "He swims like a dolphin. So natural, so beautiful, and so fast!"

"Isn't this the fourth time we've talked about this?" Sousuke chided, continuing to scoop the rice to his mouth.

"You never see him that's why!" Rin said mockingly. "He is so awesome! I want to swim with him! Maybe, I want to challenge him!"

"He swims free and you swim butterfly, how's that gonna work?" Sousuke demanded without looking up to him. He was busy trying to take a pork cutlet with his chopsticks.

"I will simply swim free."

Sousuke looked up to him, anger brimmed on his face. "You can't just your style for the sake of your rival!"

Rin clenched his fist, standing up on his seat. "Isn't that totally up to me? I'm the one who swims, not you!"

Sousuke sighed, raising his hands in surrender. Arguing with Rin was like talking to a wall—no matter what he said, his words will never got through Rin's thick skull.

"So? Who is his name?"

Rin pursed his lips, looking thoughtful. Sousuke simply stared at him. After groaning and raking his head, Rin yelled in surrender. "Damn it! I don't even know his name!"

"Stupid." Sousuke chided.

"Argh! This is so annoying." Rin whined, tapping his chopsticks against the bowl, forming an annoying, clinking noise.

"Eat before it's cold, Rin." Sousuke said before going back to his own food.

"Shut up mommy!" Rin scowled and swallowed his beef katsu, causing the redhead to choke to death before Sousuke traumatically hurried to the kitchen to get some water.

* * *

><p>"I'm home." Haruka said as he opened the door and walked in to the house, kicking his shoe off his feet.<p>

"Welcome home, Haru-chan!" a kind, old voice echoed from the kitchen. "Grandma made some mackerels for you."

The familiar scent of friend mackerel tingled his nostrils, and his drools brimmed on the corners of his lips. For the first time in years, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and Haruka happily skipped to the kitchen to meet his grandmother, who was standing by the stove, flipping the frying pan like the best chef in the world.

"Grandma." Haruka tiptoed, trying to reach the stove. "Can you teach me how to make mackerel?"

His grandma chuckled and ushered him to stand properly or else accidents will happen. "You will learn it as you got older, Haru-chan."

Instead of whining like a spoiled child, Haruka nodded. "Okay."

After that, he sprinted to the living room after leaving his bag in the kitchen. The little boy hopped up to the couch, and turned on the TV to watch the daily marine documentary in National Geographic channel. Today, they were discussing about the habitat of the dolphin, and Haruka can't help but to kicked his feet in excitement. Dolphin was his favorite animal.

In the middle of his break, the doorbell rang. Grandmother Nanase called the boy to answer the door, and Haruka obeyed as he sauntered to the entrance, leaving the television on.

He twisted the doorknob, and he was not surprised to find Makoto, who was putting up the _'where the heck are you' _face.

"Haru-chan, where did you go just now? You leave me with Nagisa." Makoto said, frowning.

"I want to go home. I'm hungry." Haruka replied curtly before opening the door wider to let the taller male walked inside.

Before Makoto could protest, Grandmother Nanase's voice echoed from the kitchen.

"_Ara!_ Is that Mako-chan? Do you want to join dinner, my dear?"

Makoto rubbed his head sheepishly and replied kindly. "No thank you, I can go home now."

"Come on Mako-chan! Haruka's mama won't be home today! It's gonna be lonely you know." Grandmother Nanase's voice was mixed between whining and pleading.

"Alright alright. Thanks for the food!" Makoto said after a moment of hesitation.

Haruka stared at his best friend with his deadpanned face, and Makoto tried to crack up a smile on his face. "Umm….Haru-chan. Are you watching the marine documentary again?"

"Hm." Haruka hummed, nodding.

"Alright then, let us continue!"

The two boys walked to the living room, and Haruka was saddened by the fact that the Dolphin documentary had just ended the moment he walked in the room. He turned to Makoto, frowning.

"It's your fault."

"Don't blame it on me!" Makoto chuckled nervously, raising his hand in surrender.

Sighing, the two boys slipped in to the couch and decided it would be alright to keep watching, since they were discussing about Marine animals, which would never made Haruka bored.

Makoto, beside him, was silently nodding off to sleep. Haruka's eyes bored through the television screen until a huge, white-dotted, whale shark appeared on the television screen. The moment his eyes laid upon the animal, Haruka felt his whole body trembling.

"_Whale Shark is the biggest marine animal in the sea. They are friendly and let humans ride on them. Sometimes, people misunderstood their kind nature because of their race…" _the reporter's voice echoed from the television.

Tilting his head downwards, Haruka yanked the TV remote from Makoto's hands and turned the television off. He exhaled sharply before sinking deeply into his couch. Makoto was awake now, and he tilted his head, confused.

"Eh? Haru-chan? Why are you turning it off?"

"Makoto." Haruka tried to crack up a smile. "Can we watch some anime from your DVD collection instead?"

* * *

><p>Sousuke spent the night at Rin's again.<p>

The taller male laid on the futon under Rin's bed that had been set up by his best friend. Gou was already fast asleep, snoring soundly under her thick blankets. Rin casted her incredulous look before turning to Sousuke.

"Man that girl, she snores like a pig." Rin muttered. "She will never get a boyfriend like that."

"Well, she's a cute little girl." Sousuke commented.

"Yeah, now I can die happy since you agreed to marry here." Rin giggled.

"I didn't say that!" Sousuke chortled, throwing a pillow to Rin's face.

Rin's fast reflex caught the pillow. "Hmm…Sousuke, I am considering to move to Iwatobi."

Sousuke squeezed himself under the blanket and looked up to Rin's red orbs. Sighing, he yawned. "Man, you're like a man in love."

"I am in love with his swimming style!"

"Whatever."

"Sousuke!"

"I know you love him, so shut up."

"Sousuke!" Rin whined, threatening to jump from the bed to hit Sousuke's body.

Sousuke giggled, a wide grin tugged on the corners of his lips. "But you didn't even know his name!"

Rin shuffled to his bag and pulled out his phone. Scrolling it, he said. "I asked Nagisa just now, he is my friend from my swim club. Fortunately, he is acquainted with this legendary swimmer."

Rin was silent for a second. Sousuke was about to sleep until a high-pitched squeal escaped from Rin's throat.

"Sousuke! It's him!" Rin tossed his phone to Sousuke, who caught it with his palms.

Sousuke blinked sleepily, wiping his drowsy eyes to brush off his hazy vision. Beofre his eyes could study the guy's appearance, Rin's voice hollered from above.

"His name is Haruka Nanase!"

The phone slipped from Sousuke's hand, falling to his futon with a silent thud.


End file.
